By Aakriti Chowdhary
Months of rigorous training, weeks of grueling drills and minutes of utter immobility is surprisingly a routine for not a soldier but a young fifteen-year-old ball boy/girl. The unsung heroes of a successful tournament, these Ball Boys & Girls (BBGs) play an important but invisible role.
Like little bundles of energy, speeding from one end to another, these young teenagers first have to enhance their skill of “rolling”, the indispensable art of powering a tennis ball half a court length along the ground into the open palms of your stationary colleague. Then, learn the knack of sprinting across lines to gather the ball. Finally, anticipate every stroke of a player better than his opponents. But the most brutal of all is standing still as a stick even when a 120 mph serve is coming right at you like a bullet.
A few other skills that have to be mastered are that of standing at the base line bang opposite to your colleague at the same time without having the privilege of seeing him/her when there is a rain suspension. It’s like hitting the bull’s eye but blind folded.
Undertaking various tricky tasks that generally go unappreciated, they ensure smooth functioning of every match. From making the same ball available for the very next serve even though it was hit for an ace to handling the sweat of Nadal by offering him his towel on the right hand at the right time; these BBGs are like a cabbie to a golfer.
Being selected amongst the 250 out of 700 aspirants is a herculean task, achieved not by ones aesthetic appeal but by sheer grit, focus and precision. Unlike young boys sitting at the boundary of a cricket ground, these ball boys /girls are not tennis enthusiast but generally football players. The organizers can’t afford to lose them following the play.
Many dread performing a blend of squats, German drills, high knees, thrusts and star jumps under the watchful eyes of the PE teachers. Prolonged absence during training is neither excused not tolerated by these very dedicated trainers.
Being a ball boy/girl is dream by many but achieved by a few. The essence of a center court is experienced by those who master every technique, who succeed to be like a rock on the sea shore undeterred by any wave, unstirred by any movement, unaffected by the men and women they dream to see. Like salt is basic to any dish, these BBGs are fundamental to any grand slam, without whom the flavor of a grand slam would forever be missed.
Sharing the spotlight with every star and gracefully mixing with the background are these young people that are part of that Wimbledon that goes beyond Federer’s slice and Nadal’s hand blister. These young people are part of that grand slam that goes beyond luxury.
